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Sunday, September 20, 2020

How to order Kopi 101

Me : Kopi-O *satu, Kopi-Ping satu, Kopi-Cham satu, Kopi-Si satu.

Waiter: Okay, boss!

 *satu in Malay means one.
A typical kopitiam 


Yep, that was coffee lingo and I had just ordered black coffee for myself, iced coffee with condensed milk for hubby, coffee+tea for Josh and coffee with evaporated milk for Rodney in a Malaysian kopitiam (coffee shop).

Suffixes to the word 'Kopi' are codes to indicate to the waiter how you like your coffee.

O = black with sugar

Si = with sugar and evaporated milk

Cham = with tea  Yes, coffee mixed with tea for those who can't make up their mind and want both!

Ping  = with ice

Kosong = without sugar

Kaw = extra strong

These codes can be interchangeably used for 'Teh' (tea in  Malay). 

So if you want a cup of black coffee with ice, you would say Kopi-O-Ping!

And if you don't want sugar in it, say  Kopi-O-Ping-Kosong!


Now you can order your coffee or tea like a boss in a local kopitiam!


Interestingly, kopi or tea without ice is always served in this standard ceramic cup and saucer set with the traditional Chinese green floral design in all old-school kopitiams wherever you are in Malaysia.

#MalaysianCoffee #KopitiamCulture #CoffeeLingo #LocalBoss #CulturalTraditions #KopiOrdering #CoffeeExperience #MalaysianCulture #KopitiamLife #FlavorsOfMalaysia

61 comments:

  1. I'll have a Kopi-Si. What a fun post.

    Have a fabulous day and week, Veronica. ♥

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  2. So cute! I know people have lingo here for ordering coffee; I just can't quite figure it out so I always keep it simple with my order :) Looks like a good drink though!

    betty

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  3. How interesting.. and the code makes it so much easier than having to say what you actually want.

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  4. So...ordering coffee in other languages is just as difficult as it is here! So many words for a cup of coffee, right?!

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  5. I've never heard of mixing coffee and tea, does it taste nice?

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  6. Boa tarde Verônica. Esse café parece delicioso.

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  7. Love this post! Sadly mine is not included - kopi-kosong with a dash of milk. I would not mind trying out kopi-cham either.

    -Soma

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  8. That was quite interesting I would end up with the completely wrong coffee lol

    Thanks for the info have a flatwhitetastic safe week ☕ԅ

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  9. Your post is quite an education!
    Thanks for joining us at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2020/09/hummingbird-haven.html

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  10. Please go over and post this at T for Tuesday at http://alteredbooklover.blogspot.com/

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  11. This is really a fascinating read. I don't drink coffee but I would try a Kopi-cham. It might be interesting. Nice to meet you here at T day. Hope yours is happy. Hugs-Erika

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  12. Kopi-Cham! I can't see it, but will have to try coffee and tea together to satisfy my curiosity. Enjoyable post.

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  13. We Finns consume more coffee than anywhere. I´ve drank it since I was 7 or so. Kopi-Si for me of those,please. :)

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  14. Kopi-Kosong satu here :) I like that cup and saucer. Happy T Tuesday!

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  15. Thanks for publishing this amazing article. I really big fan of this post thanks a lot. Recently i have learned about News in Hindi CG which gives a lot of information to us.

    Visit them and thanks again and also keep it up...

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  16. Wow interesting and sounds complicated haha Happy T Kathy

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  17. I think I would just have to say “I’ll have what she’s having.” ))). (Actually, if I were ever lucky enough to visit I really would make an effort to learn.). All of it sounds delicious except for the coffee-tea mixture (kopi-Cham? I hope I remembered that right.). That one I would definitely pass on. Now I am going to drink my last of the day cup of plain black kopi, which sounds very boring ))).

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  18. Sounds great, I love tea so would love to try the tea and coffee combo Kopi-Cham 😀. This really made me smile as coffee with condensed milk is my dad's favourite. Thanks for sharing and Happy T Tuesday! Hugs, Jo x

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  19. Nice chart. Thanks for sharing.
    Happy Autumn. Thelma

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  20. I didn't find my choice on the list, just tea.
    Happy Tea Day,
    Kate

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  21. Thanks for the language lesson. Happy T Day

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  22. Next time I'll know! But, anyway, there are too many types!
    Difficult to choose!
    Happy WW and a fine day!

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  23. Thanks for the explanations! Interesting and funny. ☺️ From the list I prefer Kopi-Kaw satu. Maybe two ...
    Have a nice day! ❤️

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  24. ...the only thing that I know about coffee is that I don't like it!!!

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  25. I'll have a Kopi-O-Ping-Kosong. Thank you 😊

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  26. Nice photography of the restaurant and cup of Joe. Thanks for sharing with Pictorial Tuesday.

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  27. Nice photo of the restaurant scene, and love all the yellow. The kopi looks good. I'll take mine black. Kopi-O, Kosong ?? What will I get with those words? :) Fun to learn something new even if I'll never be in Malaysia. Would be fun to visit though if younger. :) Happy Week.

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  28. Interesting! I also really liked the explanations and the photos. If I were a local kopitiam, I would order a Kopi-O!

    Have a fine day, Veronica!

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  29. That was interesting and fun! Thank you for sharing.
    When you order kopi, you get coffee with condensed milk,which in our country is sweet. Does that mean 'kopi' is always sweet? Or to have sweet coffee you need to order 'kopi-si'?
    I like the Malaysian language. It is so logical. For plurals, you just repeat the word.
    Happy T-Day,
    Hugs,
    Lisca

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  30. Thank you for joining the Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop.

    Have a fabulous Wordless Wednesday. ♥

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  31. I'll have a Kopi Peng, thank you:) Have gone to Mc Donalds every day when it was in the nineties and up for the past few weeks, to get an iced koffee, because our stuff still had to come and we had no fridge yet. Now, we make it ourselves. Nice to see part of your family on All Seasons, Veronica, and I love the bright yellow chairs!

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  32. I like my coffee strong, no sugar and a dash of semi skimmed milk. Maybe Kopi-Kaw would be too strong?
    https://allatseawithme.blogspot.com/2020/09/wordless-wednesday-sunset.html

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  33. The things I learn! Thanks for the lesson and bits of local information.

    I am glad you joined us at 'My Corner of the World' this week!!

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  34. mmmmmmmm Sure looks tasty girlfriend. Thanks for sharing! Woo Hoo!!! Have a great day. Be healthy & be safe!

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  35. Thank you ! if ever I come to Malaysia I know at least what cofffee to order !

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  36. Putting Malaysia firmly on my list. If I know how to order coffee, I'll be all set.
    Amalia
    xo

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  37. Wish I drank tea or coffee. How lovely to drink something out of such a pretty cup and I love the nuance of ordering.

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  38. Ohhhh I really enjoyed this post. Now I know how to order. Have a wonderful day.

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  39. Phew, that's too complicated for me. I'm glad I don't drink coffee. Welcome to the T-party.

    Eileen xx

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  40. Thank you for the lesson. I never thought of mixing coffee and tea. LOL
    Happy T Day, late.

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  41. I enjoyed the post very much (though I am cutting down on coffee :-)

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  42. for me please: coffee mixed with tea, with sugar and evaporated milk over ice = kopi-Cham-Si-Ping :-)
    I will have to try this concoction this weekend :-)

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  43. It seems a little bit complicated to order a favorite coffee. But I would like to try.

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  44. I do miss going out and order my tea or coffee Ibu.. Kopi hitam satu ya :)

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  45. Fun post. Thanks for sharing.
    I've never thought of mixing coffee and tea.Wonder what that tastes like. Have you tried it?

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  46. Kopi Peng for me. I often order Iced Vietnamese Coffee with Boba, very strong with the condensed Milk and I Love it.

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  47. Pretty neat - 'ok boss!' A Louisiana tradition is Community brand coffee. I don't like any of the fancy stuff. I like mine with 2 packets of splenda and a splash of creamer.

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  49. Great share! Thanks for the information. Keep sharing!

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